


Captain America Drabbles

by beatlelover22



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Bucky x Steve - Freeform, Captain America - Freeform, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Past Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Sick!Bucky, Sickfic, Sneezing, Stucky - Freeform, and sick bucky is also adorable, in which sick steve is adorable, sick, sick!Steve, sneeze, sneezefic, steve x bucky - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-24
Updated: 2020-01-08
Packaged: 2020-05-18 17:54:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 7,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19339603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beatlelover22/pseuds/beatlelover22
Summary: All of these are h/c drabbles in which Steve or Bucky are sick/sneezy.





	1. Rejected

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Or the one in which Steve tries to enlist, even though he has a raging headcold.

“Don’t do this, Steve,” Bucky Barnes was practically begging. “C’mon, don’t.”

“I gotta try!”

“Steve, you’re sick! Nobody’s gonna—”

“See ya in a bit, Buck.” Steve marched himself all the way to the enlistment tent.

* * *

“Name?” The officer stared at the man — no, not man — boy, shivering shirtless in front of him.

“Steve, uh, Steven Rogers.” His nostrils twitched. “It’s uh…” he peered at the list the man was skimming. “Yep, right there. _Hh’ **ITSCH!**_ ” The sneeze shook him and left the young man feeling dizzy.

“Your mother died of…?”

“Pneumonia. _Ahh… Hh’ **NXT!**_ ” Steve shuffled his feet nervously. “Uh, excuse me, sir.”

“Yeah…” the man trailed off, scanning the large list of illnesses Steve had been infected with and/or had. Asthma, influenza, tuberculosis, rheumatic fever, whooping cough, pneumonia…

“ _Hiihh… ihhh…_ ”

The enlistment officer glanced up to see the scrawny man struggling with what appeared to be a sneeze. He waited politely for Steve to finish.

“ _Ihh’n **GT!**_ ” He managed to stifle the sneeze into a hand.

“Listen, I’m sorry son—”

Steve shook his head. “No, no! Please! Just—”

“I really can’t let you serve. What with your asthma and frequent illnesses…”

“ ** _TSSHH!_** ” Steve sneezed into his hands again. He hated how pathetic he must’ve looked, but he tried anyway. “Can’t you t-talk to someone?”

The man grimaced. “No. I’m sorry.”

Steve ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

“I’m saving your life, y’know.” The man stamped his paperwork. “Next!”

* * *

“So how’d it go?” Bucky asked, careful not to sound hopeful.

“How do you think? They t-turned me down c-cold! _Heh’ **RSHH!**_ ”

“Well I’m absolutely floored!” He threw his hands up in the air, his Steve-I-told-you-not-to speech all prepared when he paused.

“Whoa, whoa!” The soldier stopped his friend by throwing an arm across his chest. “Where’d your clothes go?”

Steve looked down and was almost surprised to notice that he’d forgotten his shirt and coat in the tent. “I guess I forgot—”

“I’ll run and get them then,” Bucky said, turning to go.

“No! I don’t need them, c’mon. I just wanna go home. EhhH!” Steve rubbed his nose furiously; he was not going to sneeze again.

Bucky stared at him, shaking his head slowly. “Stevie, you must be freezing.” He hadn’t called Steve that in years, since they were kids. “If you refuse to put on your clothes, put on mine.” He shrugged out of his jacket and practically threw it on Steve.

“Buck, I don’t need — _hiih’ **KSHH!**_ — I don’t need this!”

“For God’s sake, would you stop putting up such a fight and wear the damned thing? You’re gonna catch your death out here and who’s gonna take care of you? Me!” Bucky snapped. “I hate seeing you miserable and you’re miserable right now.”

Steve’s breath caught. “No, I’m not. I’m just… a little chilly.”

Bucky nodded and they walked together back to Steve’s apartment. It was peaceful and quiet until his breath started hitching again. The soldier waited until he saw his friend’s eyelashes flutter. “My handkerchief’s in the—”

“ _Ur’ **SHHH!**_ Front pocket, I know.”


	2. Stuck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Or the one in which Bucky has allergies and Steve helps him with a stuck sneeze.

“Steve, I cad’t take this,” Bucky groaned as the pair walked down the street, back towards their apartments. Steve looked over at his friend and studied his watering eyes and pink nose.

“Hmm?” The young man smiled.

“This!” Bucky gestured to his nose and sniffled. “I’ve had to sdeeze for like the entire day!”

“Try looking up at the sun. That can help, I’ve heard.”

Bucky squinted into the sunlight until his jaw went slack. “ _Hahhh… ahhh… ahH!_ ” He groaned. “Id’s gone.”

They turned a corner and continued walking, mostly in silence, along with Bucky’s hitching breath and sniffling. “I hade allergies.”

“You have fall allergies,” Steve pointed out, “which are less common than spring allergies, so I guess just be glad you don’t have year-round allergies?”

“Whad’s the poind of havig allergies if you cad’t even sd-sdeeze?” His eyes glazed over and he stopped talking for a moment. Steve watched intently as his friend’s nostrils twitched and a lone tear escaped the corner of his eye. “ _Hahhh… huhhh…_ ”

Knowing the sneeze wasn’t going to happen on his own, Steve stood up a little straighter and flicked Bucky’s nose, which immediately reacted. Bucky lightly pushed away from Steve and sneezed harshly into his jacket sleeve. “ _Hur’ **ETCHHOO!**  Hur’ **ESHHH!**  Ehhh… hehhhH!_”

“Bless y—”

Bucky shook his head, trying to indicate there’d be another sneeze. “ _Hahh… eh’ **TCHH!**_ ”

“Bless you!”

“Thags,” Bucky said, sniffling. “Let’s just go home.”


	3. Don't Rub It In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Or the one in which Bucky has a headcold and Steve teases him.

“ _Hahh... ehhH!_ ”

Steve smirked. “God bless you.”

“Damb, you,” Bucky said thickly. “You kdow whedever you do thad, I cad’t sdeeze after.”

“Sorry,” Steve teased. “I’m not used to this whole thing, seeing as I never get sick.”

“ _Hah’ **nNGGXXT!**_ ” Bucky pinched his nose cruelly, causing his sneeze to squeak.

Cap couldn’t help but smile. “That was kind of cute. But not as cute as your—”

“Dod’t say id,” the other man warned, holding a finger under his still-quivering nostrils. “ _Ehh_...”

“Not-as-cute-as-that-tattoo-you-got-last-weekend!” Steve rushed, dodging a playful swing from Bucky.

“You pr-promised you wouldd’t bention id!  _Iihhh... Ihh’ **TSCHHHxXXT!**_ ”

“Buck, you got a tattoo of a star on your—”

“Yes, yes, I kdow where id’s locaded, thags.” His breath hitched for the billionth time and in a desperate attempt to at least contain some of the germs, ducked his nose inside his shirt. “ _Iiihh’ **tCHXXt!**  Hehh’ **ASSCHHT!**  Nn’ **GGHT!**_ ”

“Bless...”

“ _Huh’ **PFFT!**_ ”

“... you.” Steve cracked a grin at the sound of Bucky’s last sneeze. “Buck, I still don’t understand why you have to hold ‘em in. That’s gotta be bad for you. Especially when you’re sick.”

“Dod’t—”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Don’t rub it in.”


	4. Give Me a Break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Or the one in which Steve sneezes like a model citizen and Bucky fixes him hard-boiled eggs.

“ _Hur’ **USHHHHOOO!**_ ” Steve sneezed thickly into the crook of his arm like a model citizen. Groaning, he leaned back into the armchair and closed his eyes, preparing to go to sleep.

“Morning, soldier.”

Steve cracked open an eye and peeked at the young man standing in front of him. “Hey, Bucky.”

“Jesus, you sound awful,” Bucky said, sitting across from him on the couch.

“Whad tibe is id?”

“Three in the morning, kiddo.”

With a groan, Steve rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and attempted to get up. His vision went black and his skin felt hot and tingly. He knew the sensation all too well, but hadn’t experienced it for quite some time.

“Whoa, whoa!” Bucky was speaking to him but he sounded very far away. “Take it easy, pal. Sheesh.” A hand gripped Steve’s arm tightly and helped him back in the chair.

Steve’s nose tickled furiously and he barely had time to turn away from Bucky before he broke into a fit of sneezes. “ _Ihh’ **TSHHHOO!**  Hahh... HAHH! Hah’ **TSCHHH!**   **ATSCHH!**_ ”

Bucky dug in his pocket and handed the man a handkerchief. In return, Cap offered him a watery smile. “Thags.” He buried his face in it and blew, feeling his face flush.

“Man, you are such a hypocrite, you know that?”

The other man poked his nose out from behind the cloth. “How so?”

“You go around saving the world and you don’t even pay yourself the littlest bit of attention,” Bucky said. “It’s pathetic. I mean, even when you’re hurt, you do this. Pretending that you’re fine and all that. Just stop. You don’t need to play Superman for me, okay?” 

Bucky gave him a sympathetic smile. “You worry me, you know?”

Steve looked sheepish. “Sorry. I just—  _huhhts’ **SHHOO!**_ ”

“Bless.”

“Thag you. I’b sorry, whad was I sayig?” He rubbed his red nose distractedly.

Bucky shook his head with a playful grin. “Nothing that important. Hey, you want me to make you something?”

“You cad cook?” Steve inquired curiously, refusing to pay attention to his ever-twitching nose.

“Cereal or hard-boiled eggs?”

“ _Ehh..._  e-eggs, pl-please.  _Ihhh... hiihh._..” His eyelashes fluttered as he struggled with the sneeze.

“You gonna make it?”

“ _Ihhh’ **TCHHH!**_ ”

“Spoke too soon.”


	5. Loneliness and Klingons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Or the one in which Steve and Sam hole up in a motel while looking for Bucky.

“OK, so see him? That’s Captain Kirk — he’s pretty much the leader.” 

Looking for Bucky was proving to be more difficult than originally planned. At the moment, Sam and Steve were holed up in some motel, watching  _Star Trek_  on Sam’s computer.

Steve nodded. “OK. So that guy with the funny eyebrows? He’s second-in-command?”

“Yep. That’s Mr. Spock,” Sam explained. “He’s a Vulcan, which is why his eyebrows are like that. Half-human, too.”

Steve’s head was spinning. “ _Ahh._.. a-alright.” 

His nostrils flared and he stifled a few sneezes into his fist. “ _Hh’ **NXT!** Ahh… hahh… hah’ **GNNT!**_ “

“Bless you,” Sam told him, raising an eyebrow. “You’ve been doing that for awhile.”

“What, sneezing?” Steve laughed, discreetly rubbing his itching nose. “Yeah, people tend to do that sometimes.”

“Oh, c’mon man, you know what I mean. You getting sick?”

“N-no, I—  _heh’ **SHH!**_ ”

“That’s not convincing,” Sam said, pausing the episode.

Steve blushed, rubbing his nose. “No, I’m just a little tired is all.  _H-hhahh_ … hang on, Sam.” 

His breath caught and he pinched his nose closed with his thumb and forefinger. “ _Eh’ **SHHP!**  Hup’ **XXT!** ”_ 

For once, his normally immaculate blond hair looked disheveled.

“Bless. You want to go to bed?”

Steve forced a laugh. “Not really. I need a distraction. I’m just… I’m so scared we’re not going to find him.”

“Steve,” Sam said, looking at Steve very seriously. “We’re definitely going to find him, you know. It might take a few months, but we’ll get there.”

The blond nodded, smiling a little. “You’re right. Thanks, Sam.“


	6. For Better or For Worse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Or the one in which Steve gets Bucky sick, post-serum.

“I’m so sorry, Buck.” Steve stares at his long-time friend, the circles under his eyes and the sheen of his fevered skin. “I didn’t mean to get you sick — I didn’t even know I could get sick, let alone you.”

“Yeah, well…” Bucky trails off and slowly brings his hand to his face. “ _Huh’ **CHAHH!**_ ” 

He sniffles. “Viruses mutate. Even superhuman immune systems like ours can’t —  _het’ **SCHHH!**_ ”

Steve blesses him just as he sneezes. “I really feel bad though. You want some soup?”

Bucky sits cross-legged, back straight. “No thank you.”

“You sure? I can do chicken noodle or tomato,” Steve offers, smiling. 

Bucky glares at him. “I don’t feel like it.”

Rejected, Steve lays his head on the couch’s arm rest and sighs. “Just tell me when we’re out of tissues — I can run to the store.”

Seeing Steve’s morose state, Bucky immediately feels guilty. “It’s not that bad, you know.” His nostrils flare and he furiously scrubs his nose until the itching feeling goes away. “It was a great excuse to —  _hahhh…_ to _hahhH!_  — cancel my therapy session.”

“Bucky…” Steve sounds exasperated. “I though therapy was helping you?”

“It does help, I guess,” he says. “I just don’t like going. It’s weird to talk about stuff with a stranger.” 

Suddenly, the sneeze sneaks back up on him. Bucky’s head rears back a little and he nearly dives into his elbow. “ _Heh’ **SCHHOO!** Eh’ **XSHHT!**_ ”

“Bless you,” Steve says guiltily. 

Bucky knows what he has to do. “Actually, uh… Steve, soup sounds good.”

“Really?” His whole demeanor brightens.

“Yes,” Bucky gives him a small smile. “Thanks.”


	7. All for One, One for All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Or the one in which Bucky wishes Steve had been born heartless.

When Steve knocked on his friend’s door around five o’clock, he expected Bucky’s beaming face in less than three seconds. Instead, a voice called out. “Don’t come in!”

Steve chuckled, still standing outside. “Buck, it’s me.”

“I know!” Came the reply. Strange.

Steve shuffled his feet. “I just wanted to see if you wanted to… I don’t know, go out?” 

In truth, Steve hated going out but he’d made up his mind to try and be more sociable. Besides, it was manageable if he had a friend to go with.

“Not today.  _Huh… huh’ **TSHOO!**_ ” The sound of a muffled sneeze came from inside.

“Hey, are you okay?” the smaller man asked suspiciously, peeking in the window.

“Fide, fide!” The voice sounded far away.

“I’m coming in, okay?”

Bucky barely had time to get out a choked “No!” before Steve had stepped in and closed the door behind him.

“You’re sick,” Steve said accusingly, walking into the living room to find Bucky curled up on the couch, shivering.

“Steve, you’ve gotta get out of here!” He made shooing gestures until his eyes glassed over. “ _AHhh… ah’ **SHOO!**_ ”

“Bless you,” Steve replied, placing the back of his hand on his friend’s forehead. His eyebrows shot up, surprised. “You’ve got a fever! How long have you been sick?”

The young man shuddered and wrapped his arms around himself. “I d-dunno. Couple days.”

“A couple days? Bucky…”

Suddenly, the fear was back in Bucky’s eyes. “You have to leave! I’ll get you sick! I’ll… I’ll…” He inhaled sharply and pulled his shirt collar up to his nose. “ _Hh’ **SHHP!**_  I’ll only get better whereas if you get sick you might never —  _hah’ **ASHHOO!**  _— recover.”

“Bless you,” Steve thrust a hand into his pocket and offered Bucky his handkerchief. “C’mon now, you shouldn’t be worrying about me right now. Look at yourself.”

“I kdow… dot such a ladies man adymore,” he sniffled, still trying to keep his distance from Steve. “Why couldn’t you have been born heartless?” he asked as Steve brought him a blanket from the closet.


	8. Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay

Bucky and Steve were walking from the docks to their apartment building, a few blocks away. Steve had only just started working alongside Bucky (much to Bucky’s worry) at the docks, where things like heavy lifting were necessary skills. 

He’d done okay these past few days, but being so close to the water and all, Bucky was paranoid Steve would get sick. He only just started healing from his last bout with the flu.

They walked through the misty rain, shoes soaked through. Steve shivered and hoped Bucky wouldn’t notice.

“Great work today, Steve,” Bucky said him, rubbing his shoulder.

Steve smiled. “I’m trying, all right. It’s nice to get paid instead of laying in bed.”

“Yeah, well you just take it easy. I don’t want you getting hurt or sick.”

It was at this moment that Steve’s nose decided to betray him. He scrunched it up in a futile effort to get it to stop tickling but to no avail. “ _Hh’ **KSHH!** Hah! Ah’ **SHH!**  Hup’ **KNNNT!**_ ”

Bucky nearly stopped dead in his tracks. “You catchin’ cold?”

“N-no, no,” Steve said, waving him off. “I’m fine, it’s just the humidity.” 

Steve flinched when Bucky rested a hand on his shoulders.

“I can feel you trembling. You must be freezing! Steve, you need to tell me when you—”

Steve ducked out of Bucky’s grasp. “I’m f-fine, Buck. Leave me be.” Eyes fluttering shut, it was like clockwork. He reached up and pinched his nose, hoping to be as quiet as possible. “ _Hh’ **NCH!** Eh’ **GSHH!**  Hahh... ahhH! Hap’ **SHOO!**_ ”

“Third times the charm, eh Steve?”

“Oh, sh-shud up.” He sniffled, rubbing his runny nose on his wrist. He felt the weight of Bucky’s jacket being draped around his shoulders. “Bucky, we’re t-two blocks away.”

Bucky rolled his eyes. “Okay, well, you try and tell me that same thing without your teeth chattering.”


	9. 4-F

“Name?”

“Sdeve Rogers.”

The enlistment officer glanced up upon hearing the obviously congested voice. “Okay...” He glanced back down, reading the young man’s list of health problems.

“P-pardon—  _hh’ **GGNT!**_ ” Steve desperately tried to stifle a sneeze into his shoulder. 

There were a few “bless you’s” shouted from some of the men lined up behind him. “

Sorry,” Steve said again, with a quick swipe under his nose.

“You sick, son?”

Steve shook his head, face reddening. “Um, doe sir. Jusd —  _ahh... ahhhH! Ah’ **SHHT!**_ — allergies.”

“Your asthma alone would prevent you from getting in. Let alone these–”

“ _Nn’ **CHH!**_ ”

“—allergies.”

“Please, isd’t there adything else you c-cad do?” He heard one of the guys behind him muttering something about an “army enthusiast.”

Steve didn’t even bother arguing as the officer stamped his papers. Rejected.

* * *

Bucky was waiting for him outside, per usual. When Steve came out, Bucky read his face and gave him a smile. “Hey, c’mon, it’s for the best.”

Steve quickened his pace, ignoring him.

“Oh, don’t be like that.” Bucky raced to catch up to him. “How about we go out and get drinks, huh?”

“I don’t  _huh... huhh_...” He sniffled into his wrist. “I don’t feel like id.  _Hah’ **TSCH!**_ ”

Bucky whipped his handkerchief out of his pocket and pressed it into Steve’s shaking hands. “Bless you.”

Steve nodded, burying his nose in the cloth. “Id’s jusd dot fair. Why dot be?”

“I think you know the answer to that question,” Bucky responded, giving him a comforting rub on the shoulder.


	10. It's the Simple Things

Bucky was sick. He knew it. 

His throat had that sore, shitty feeling he got just before he came down with a cold, and his head felt heavy. Just what he needed. A damn headcold right after Steve had gotten over the flu. 

Bucky trudged through the snowy streets of New York back to their shared apartment. They were living together because times had gotten harder since Steve’s mother passed and it was no secret that splitting the rent was more reasonable. 

His bare hand closed around the doorknob of their place and opened the door, welcoming the smell of something cooking. Something good. 

“Hi,” Steve called out from the kitchen. “I’m fixing up some soup. How was work?”

The radio was playing something soft and Bucky resisted the urge to sink into the nearest chair. 

“Good,” he tried to say, but to his embarrassment, no sound came out. He cleared his throat. “Good.”

Steve tried not to smile at Bucky’s red cheeks and nose. “Cold out there?” 

Bucky sniffled against the back of his hand. “A l-little.  _Huh’ **SHHHH!**_ ” He caught the sneeze in his hand and scrambled to get his handkerchief out of his pocket. 

Steve watched him carefully as he blew his nose. “Your hands are shaking, Buck.” 

He quickly lowered the heat and sat with Bucky on their couch. 

“Are they?” Bucky laughed harshly, clearing his throat again. He felt Steve grab his hand and let out a gasp. 

“You’re freezing! Where are your gloves?”

Bucky sniffled miserably, trying not to show it. “I, uh, dropped them off the pier. Accident.” 

“Bucky,” Steve whispered, holding Bucky’s hands in his. “It’s too cold to go without things like your coat or your gloves. Especially working out there on the docks— Hey, are you listening to me?”

Steve studied Bucky’s face, particularly his eyes, which seemed glazed over. “Buck?”

Suddenly, he snapped forward with a series of wet sneezes. “ _H-heh’ **SHHH!** Hur’ **SHHHUH!**_ ” He fumbled for a handkerchief but Steve pressed his own into Bucky’s hands. 

“You feeling okay?” His voice sounded small and far away, but Bucky nodded anyway. 

“My n-nose just itches is all.” He snuffled into the handkerchief but held on to it, hands still trembling. “Sorry Steve, I’ve gotta—  _hep’ **SHHHH!** Hahh… ahhH! Ah’ **TSHHHUH!**_ ”

“Bless, Buck,” Steve whispered, rubbing Bucky’s back. “Are you cold?”

“Steve, I’m  _f-fihhh_ … fine.” 

“Stop lying to me.” 

Bucky glanced at Steve through bleary eyes, sniffling again. “I’m sorry. I just don’t want you to worry. It’s just a little cold.” 

“Doesn’t seem so little to me,” Steve said, watching Bucky’s nostrils flare. 

“C’mon.” Bucky sank to the floor, shivering. “Let’s make a fort out of the cushions, like we used to do when we were little. R-remember?”

Steve nodded, snagging a few blankets off the couch. “Yeah, yeah. Okay.” He draped one of the blankets over Bucky, who pulled it tighter around himself. 

“You warm enough?” Steve asked, laying his head on Bucky’s chest. 

“Yeah,” Bucky said, nodding. “I am now.”


	11. The Way You Look Tonight

During the winter after Bucky turned 20, Steve gets tossed a challenge: Bucky catches a cold and it’s definitely a nasty one. He’s got the chills, the fever, the cough, and...

“ _Huh’ **NNNGT!**_ ”

... the sneezes. And he’s got ’em bad.

“Oh, Buck...” 

Hanging out with Bucky is on his usual routine, but this morning, Steve takes the initiative and goes to Bucky’s apartment, only to find him sweating out a fever in bed. Steve pokes his head in the bedroom and sighs. Bucky never gets sick.

Bucky hears the tiny sign and cracks an eye open. 

“Oh shi—” The curse drifts off his lips and never quite reaches the air. “Steve, I’m sorry, you can’t... can’t come in today,” he mumbles.

“I’m sick and we both know what would,” he coughs harshly into a fist. “What would happen next.” 

He’s of course referring to Steve’s practically non-existent immune system.

Steve takes a step inside the room but Bucky’s shaking his head.

“No, no, nuh huh. You can’t—”

“Bucky, Bucky... listen to me. It doesn’t matter.” Steve’s halfway in the room and he can see that Bucky’s face is glistening.

“But you’ll—”

“I’m gonna get sick anyway, okay? It honestly does not matter, okay?” 

He’s sitting on the bed now, pulling back Bucky’s sheets. “Besides, I might as well get sick sooner rather than later, right? It just makes sense. Here.” 

Steve helps him sit up and gently lifts the damp undershirt over his head. Like clockwork, Bucky’s already got a fresh shirt on and Steve is brushing his hair back from his forehead. Bucky puts a strong hand on Steve’s chest and pushes him away, perhaps a bit too roughly.”Godda  _sd-sdehhh_... sdeeze...”

Steve watches, transfixed and amazed at how beautiful Bucky could possibly look at this moment, even doing something as simple as sneezing. His long eyelashes flutter shut and he grabs for his collar, sneezing inside his shirt. 

“ _Hup’ **GGNT!** Ahhh... hahH! Hh’ **XXXT!**_ ” Bucky shakes his head afterwards, as if to clear it. His eyes are red and watery and Steve is lost in them.

“B-bless you, Buck,” he stutters.

Bucky sniffles, rubbing his tickly nose on his wrist. 

“By dose itches ad I’b hot... ad cold,” he adds, flopping down into bed. 

Steve secretly lets himself smile; it’s not often he gets to see this helpless, childlike side of Bucky. “How about I put on a record and lay with you until you go to sleep?”

“Mm’kay.”

Steve returns with a carefully selected record: “The Way You Look Tonight,” a Fred Astaire tune. As soon as it starts playing, Bucky smirks. 

“A bid robantic, hmm? I didn’t kdow you were a robantic, Stevie.”

A romantic. Steve blushes his words, even though he knows it’s just the fever talking. Bucky’s even humming along by the time Steve climbs in bed with him. “You feelin’ sleepy yet?”

Bucky smiles, closing his eyes. “Baybe a little.” 

He frowns. “Id would be a lot easier if I didn’t hafta... hafta...” His eyes start to water again and his nostrils twitch, begging for a release. “ _Hahhh... hih’ **XXXXT!** Nn’ **SHHT** Huh... huh!_” 

The last one leaves his breath hitching and him unsatisfied. “Dabbit.”

Steve tries not to find Bucky’s congested voice cute or funny. “It’s okay, it’ll come back.”

“ _Hah! Hah’ **SHHHP!**_ ” Bucky’s head snaps forward and he looks dazed. 

This time Steve does laugh. “Bless you. Wanna handkerchief?”

Bucky shakes his head no. “Doe, id’ll only bake be sdeeze  _ahhh_...  _hoo_. Agaid.” 

He scrunches his nose up like a rabbit, trying to get the inevitable itch out of there.

“Just try to get some sleep, okay?”

Bucky nods, his eyelids giving in. “Mm’kay.”


	12. Benign

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky’s sneeze sounds different when he’s the Winter Soldier.

Steve Rogers was watching his best friend on a television in Berlin, being questioned by some kind of psychiatrist from the United Nations. His heart almost broke as he watched Bucky turn away and say, “I don’t wanna talk about it.”

The psychiatrist leaned back in his chair and rested the tip of his pen on his lower lip. “Don’t worry,” he responded. “We only have to talk about one.”

Bucky cringed and recoiled, causing Steve to lean in. “What’s he doing?” Sam asked, standing directly behind Steve.

“I think he’s—”

Bucky’s eyes fluttered shut and he quickly snapped forward with two desperate-sounding sneezes. “ _Hh’ **CHH!** Hahh... heh’ **XXNT!**_ ” 

“Yup.” Steve sighed. “He’s getting sick.” 

“Getting sick? How do you know?” Sharon Carter asked, arms akimbo. 

Steve frowned. ”I know him. He usually sneezes twice when he’s coming down with something.” 

Sure enough, Bucky was scrubbing at his red nose with the back of his hand. 

“Something wrong?” the doctor asked him, taking the pen out of his mouth, prepared to write. 

“No,” Bucky grumbled with a liquid sniffle. “I’m fine.”

“He’s not,” Steve told them, eyes squinting with concern. 

Sam put his hand on Steve’s shoulder. “Try not to worry about it, man. He’s gonna be okay.” 

It was at that moment that the lights went out. 

“Go, go!” Sharon ushered them out and Steve had one thought on his mind:  _find Bucky._

Meanwhile, he was alone with the doctor, who began reciting off a list of words in Russian. “ _Zhelaniye, rzhavyy_...”

Bucky’s swallowed. “No. Stop.”

“ _Semnadtsat’_ —”

“Stop!”

“ _Rassvet, pech’, devyat’, dobroserdechnyy, vozvrashcheniye na rodinu, odin, gruzovoy vagon_...”

The man glanced up, eyes slightly dilated. “Ready to comply.” 

He sniffed quickly before catching two harsh sneezes in his hand. “ _Hur’ **ASHSHSHH!** Ehh... heh’ **ETCHSUCSCH!**_ ”

* * *

Bucky’s eyes fluttered open. 

Instinctively, he tried to take a deep breath through his nose and found that he couldn’t. Giving a few experimental sniffs, he quickly found that he was as congested as he’d ever been. Awesome. The sniffing turned out to be a bad idea however, because his sinuses prickled and he felt his eyes water. 

Unfortunately, his metal arm was trapped underneath some heavy object and he couldn’t properly cover his mouth. The sneezes came anyway.

“ _Huh’ **TISHH!**  Hahh... ahhH! Ha’ **PTSCH!**_ ”

“Uh, Steve?” Sam called out from nowhere, scaring the shit out of Bucky. In twenty seconds flat, Steve was standing in front of his dearest friend. 

Bucky glanced up, eyes still red and watery. “Steve.” 

The other man sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Which Bucky am I talking to?”

Bucky opened his mouth to reply, but ended up gasping before pitching forward with a ticklish-sounding sneeze. “ _Heh’ **NXGT!**_ ”

“Bless—”

“ _Ehh... hehhH! Hehh_...” Bucky sighed, a sneezy expression plastered on his face. “Sorry, I—” But the sneeze returned full force, causing Bucky to again succumb to the intense tickling in his nose. “ _Huh’ **KISHHSH!** Uhh... huh’ **KUSH** ’ungh!_”

“Christ, Buck.” 

“Your bother’s dabe is Sarah. You used to...  _tahhh_... to wear—”

“I know, I know. I know it’s you,” Steve told him, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips.

“Just like that, we’re cool?” Sam asked. “How do you even know he’s not playing you? Y’all have been separated for something like a hundred years.”

Steve chuckled, despite the circumstances. “He sneezes different when he’s the Winter Soldier.” 

Bucky rolled his eyes. “I do dot. I sound the sabe.” 

“Nope. Your sneezes are harsher when you’re brainwashed. Trust me, I know.” 

He smiled sofly and rubbed at his nose again. “Huh. I dever kdew.”


	13. Just a Tickle

By the time Bucky comes home from the docks, his teeth are chattering. Steve’s already got dinner ready and on the table, and is pressing a steaming cup of tea into Bucky’s hands as he comes through the door. 

“Hi,” he whispers, his gentle breath tickling Bucky’s ear. 

Bucky feels a chill go down his spine and shivers. Before he can say anything, his lower lip curls and he sneezes harshly to the side. “ _Huh’ **RRSSSZSH!**_ ”

 _Oh._ Steve’s abdomen tightens and he quickly reminds himself to breathe and  _for fuck’s sake, be normal._ “Bless you, Buck.”

He coughs a few times and collapses into the chair pulled up to the kitchen table, scrubbing at his nose with his free hand. “I think I caught a cold.” 

Steve clucks, bringing a few napkins to the table and pushing a steaming bowl in front of him. It’s a vegetable stew and Bucky’s mouth waters just looking at it.

As he’s grabbing for his spoon, Steve’s hand grabs his.

“I’m sorry you’re not feeling well.”

“I’m feeling fine,” Bucky says, sniffling. “J-just got a —  _hh’ **SCHSCHHH!**_  — a tickle.” 

Steve forces himself to smile but finds himself… distracted. Instead of eating, like Bucky’s doing, Steve’s just watching him. Noticing his watery eyes, his rosy cheeks, his pink (but otherwise perfect) nose, his shiny, fevered skin…

“What?” Bucky’s mouth is stuffed with a rather large spoonful of stew.

“Me? No, nothing.”

“You’re just  _st-stahh_ … sorry. You’re just staring at—” He breaks off with another throat-wrenching sneeze. “ _H-hahh… hehH! Hh’ **TSZSSSHH!**_ ”

Steve crosses his legs.

“ _H-hihh_ …” Bucky looks like he’s going to sneeze again and his mouth is curled in a pre-sneeze snarl, but the feeling dissipated and he sniffles, looking disappointed. “Sorry, thought I had to sneeze.”

“Why don’t we go to bed?” Steve says, biting his lip and trying not to think of jumping Bucky’s fucking bones.

“Right now?” Bucky says, mouth full of food again. “But it’s only—”

“Mmhmm,” Steve manages to choke out, grabbing Bucky by the arm and leading him to their bedroom.


	14. Blanket Drill

Winter nights in Austria were cold, sure. But they always seemed colder when Bucky was standing guard. It was roughly 0200 hours and he felt like his fingers were frozen. Bucky sniffled miserably.

It didn’t help that he had a nasty headcold from hell. Bucky’s throat was completely raw and if he was being honest, he needed a clean handkerchief. Well, what he really needed was some time off.

But then again, soldiers never got time off. 

“ _H-huhh… huh’ **FSSSH!**_ ” 

Bucky buried his irritated nose in his handkerchief, blowing to try and get some relief from the tickle.

“Bless you,” Steve said sleepily, yawning. 

He came up behind Bucky, wrapped in an Army-issued, wool blanket. Steve draped another one over Bucky, who shakily wrapped it closer around himself.  

“Th-thanks,” he said, before ducking into it with another harsh sneeze. “ _Heh’ **ISSSHMPPHF!**_ ” 

The sneeze itself was muffled by Bucky’s damp handkerchief and he blew his nose again tiredly. 

“That’s some cold you got there, Buck,” Steve commented. 

Bucky sniffled and shivered. “Yeah, well. You know how it goes.” 

The two sat in silence, appreciated the cold quiet that was Salzburg. Snow began to fall lightly and Bucky shook a cigarette out of the pack, just to have something else to do besides sneeze and blow his nose. He nonchalantly lit a match and held it up to his cigarette, hands shaking. An ill-timed sneeze ruined it.

“ _Huh’ **RRSSSZSH!**_ ”

Steve watched the cigarette tumble from his lips and putter out in the snow.

“Fuck,” Bucky cursed, shaking out another one, but he was out of matches.

He groaned, snuffling into his handkerchief. “Steve, you got a light?”

“Sure, Buck,” Steve said and studied Bucky’s face in the tiny, yellow light of the match he’d just lit.

Bucky’s face was shiny with a thin sheen of sweat — despite the brisk temperature — and his cheeks were almost the same tint as the tip of his nose. Even so, he was still beautiful in Steve’s eyes.

The cigarette lit and Steve shook the match out, tossing it in the snow. Bucky took a long drag and coughed, the smoke burning his already irritated lungs.

“You should get some rest,” Steve suggested, rubbing his hands together to generate some heat. 

Bucky shook his head. “You know I have two more hours left. I’m on mid-watch tonight.” 

“I know, but you—”

Steve was interrupted by a dramatic gasp and series of ticklish sneezes.  
“ _H-hihh… hih’ **SCHSCHHH!**  Hh’ **TSZSSSHH!**_ ” 

He shuddered, followed by a liquid sniff. 

“You’re just going to get worse,” Steve told him, inching closer toward him. “Let me take over for you. I’m wide awake, anyhow.” 

Bucky let out a little puff of smoke and shook his head, sniffing thickly. “I’b fide, Steve. Led be do b-by job —  _huh’ **RRCHZSHH!**_ ” 

The sneeze scraped against his throat and he swallowed, wincing at the pain.   
Steve shook his head. “Well, if you won’t go back in the tent, you’re going to wear my blanket, too.” 

Before Bucky could protest, Steve had shrugged out from underneath the wool blanket and draped it over Bucky’s shoulders. “There.” 

Steve inched closer yet to Bucky and dared rest his head on Bucky’s shoulder. “I’m sorry you’re sick, Buck.”

“Id’s okay,” Bucky said, holding his handkerchief with one hand to blow his nose and tapping the ashes from his cigarette with the other. “I’ll ged a blanket drill later.”


	15. Same Shit, Different Day

Steve’s curled up on the couch listening to the radio when Bucky comes in, slightly late, from work.

“Long day?” Steve asks, sitting up and making room for Bucky on the couch.

Bucky runs his fingers through his hair and sits down, exhausted. He nods and kicks off his boots.

“Yeah, nothin’ new,” he says, smiling at Steve. “Same shit, different day.”

Steve can’t help himself and lays his head on Bucky’s chest, listening to him breathe. With a secret smile, Steve leans in a little more as Bucky starts hitching.

“ _H-hihhh… ih’ **TSSSSH!**   **TSSSSHUH!**_ ”

“Bless you,” Steve says, biting his lip.

The itchy sneezes come fast and Bucky swipes at his nose, surprised. “Sorry, no idea where those—  _h-heh’ **TSSSCHSSSHH!**  Hihhh… hahhH! Hh’ **TSSSCCCHH!**_ ”

Steve feels his abdomen tighten with excitement. He doesn’t want to admit it, but he loves seeing Bucky sneeze and isn’t quite sure why. There’s a certain cologne that Bucky’s allergic to and yes, Steve put it on right before Bucky was due home from work. Does Steve feel guilty about it? Well…

Bucky’s sinuses prickle again, making his eyes water something fierce. “ _ **TSSSSHH!**  H-hehhh… ehhH! Hh’ **TSSSSHUH!**_ ”

“Christ,” Bucky says, scrubbing his nose with the heel of his palm. “I have no idea  _wh-whahhhh_ … what’s gotten into me.”

Steve kisses Bucky’s jaw and the scent of the cologne — citrus, clove and something mustier — drifts up toward Bucky’s quivering nostrils.

“G-God,” Bucky gasps, turning away from Steve again. “Are you w-wearing  _thahhh…_  th-that —  _ **TSSSSCHH!**_  — thad cologne?”

Steve feigns surprise. “Oh! Oh, Bucky, I’m sorry. It slipped my mind.”

Bucky takes a shaky inhale and sneezes a few more times, trying to get rid of the consistent itch buried somewhere deep. “ _ **TSSSHH!** Hahhh… ahhH! Hah’ **TSSSCHSSSHH!**_ ”

He sniffles thickly, rubbing his nose with the back of his hand. “D-do you have a —  _ **TSSSSHH!**_ — a handkerchief?”

Steve practically leaps at the thought. “Of course, sorry. Here.”

He presses the piece of cloth into Bucky’s trembling hands and prays that he can’t see the bulge in Steve’s pants. 


	16. Stifles

“How’s your cold?” Steve asked sympathetically, joining Bucky on one of the couches in Stark Tower. They’d been reunited for maybe a week before Bucky caught a nasty headcold from God knows where, and was currently suffering the repercussions.

“Id’s fide,” Bucky said thickly, swiping under his nose with his good hand.

The cool metal of his other hand felt good near his face and forehead, since he was fevered, but he hated Steve worrying over him and didn’t want him to know he also had a fever.

“Doesn’t sound fine,” Steve told him, trying to judge how bad he really was.

Aside from his flushed cheeks and nose, Bucky looked… like Bucky. Like the normal Bucky. The old Bucky. Truthfully though, the cold had effectively kicked Bucky on his ass. He was exhausted and really just wanted to take a long nap (preferably with Steve, if possible).

“Trust be, id’s  _f-fihhh_ … f-fide,” he choked out.

To Bucky’s dismay, he inhaled sharply and quickly pinched his nostrils shut, stifling a series of sneezes. “ _HahH! Hh’ **GNNNT!**  H-hehh… heh’ **KKKNT!**_ ”

“Jesus, Buck,” Steve said, worried. “Those sounded painful to hold in.”

Bucky shook his head, letting his dark locks fall into his eyes for a moment before running his fingers through his hair. “Thad’s just how I sdeeze.”

Steve sighed. “I know but you—”

Bucky’s mouth dropped open again as he gasped with the need to sneeze. “ _Hh’ **KKKT!**  Hih’ **NNNT!**_ ”

“Bucky, please, you can’t keep doing that to your nose, you’ll—”

Steve watched Bucky’s eyelashes flutter, watched his nostrils quiver, and knew what he had to do. He quickly grabbed Bucky’s wrist as he brought it up to his nose, preventing him from pinching his nose.

“St-Steve, I’ve godda—  _h-heh’ **TSSSCHHUH! TSSDZSSH!**_ ”

The sneezes shook his core and although he felt guilty for doing it, Steve knew those stifles were hurting Bucky’s head. 


	17. Mischievous

Steve feels guilty for doing it but  _fuck_. He loves Bucky’s sneezes and what the hell, he’s feeling mischievous today.

They’re meeting with Nick Fury and The Avengers — including Tony, Nat, Clint, Bruce, and Sam — to talk about something like budget cuts. Steve doesn’t really know because he’s as unfocused as he could be.

He examines the long table as he walks in and conveniently chooses to sit next to Bucky, who smiles at him.

“The man of the hour,” Bucky says, just to make Steve laugh.

Steve grins. “You wish.”

Before Nick kicks off the meeting, Bucky’s already sniffling madly. He snuffles into the back of his wrist, desperately trying to keep his nose from running.

“You alright there?” Sam asks, seated on Bucky’s right.

Bucky’s sinuses prickle and he sneezes in response — a contained stifle. “ _H-heh’ **GNNNT!**_ ”

“Bless you,” Steve says as nonchalantly as he can, and Sam echoes him.

Bucky nods his thanks, suddenly embarrassed, and the meeting begins.

Nick is talking about the fourth quarter revenue they’ve brought in, as if The Avengers are an up-and-coming marketing firm, and Steve smiles. In between nodding at Nick’s words, Steve sneaks glances at Bucky, who’s obviously struggling with the incoming sneezing fit.

Bucky’s terribly allergic to a cologne Steve happens to own — one that Steve also happened to lightly spritz himself with this morning. And the scent is obviously wreaking havoc on the Winter Soldier’s nose and overall composure. Steve tries to focus on the matter at hand, but he’s too distracted.

Bucky’s breath begins to hitch before his pinches off two more teasing stifles with a thumb and a forefinger. “ _Hihhh… hihH! Hh’ **KNNNT!** Hih’ **GGGNT!**_ ”

Sam blesses him and Steve does too (though he pretends it’s an offhand comment and he’s focused on Fury).

But Steve knows Bucky’s not done. He’s got his metal hand in front of his face, as if warding off another series of sneezes. He switches hands and places a finger under his trembling nose and Steve thinks he might explode.

“ _E-ehhh_ … e-excuse me,” Bucky manages to choke out before sneezing again. “ _Hh’ **NNGT!** HahhH! Hah’ **NXXXT!**_ ”

“Handkerchief?” Steve whispers to him, holding out his own.

Always carrying a handkerchief is one of his “weird” (according to Sam) habits from the 1940s that Steve can’t seem to shake. Cheeks flushed red from embarrassment, Bucky takes it with one hand and quietly blows his nose into it.

But as Nick continues to talk, Bucky involuntarily gasps, too overtaken by the sneezes to see the room turn and look at him.

He lets out a humiliating double of half-stifled sneezes, bending forward. “ _H-hih’ **WFF!** Heh’ **KHFFF!**_ ”

When he opens his watering eyes, the entire room is still staring at him. Steve gives him a sympathetic look, desperately trying to disguise the lust in his eyes. 

“Barnes, do you need to be excused?” Nick asks, eyes narrowing.

Bucky tries to shake his head through the next impending sneezing fit but feels a hand on his back.

“I’ll take him outside,” Steve announces, always the hero. “Some fresh air will be good for you, Buck.”

As Steve helps him out of the room, Bucky still sneezing, Steve knows that they’re not going outside for fresh air. They’re going right back to Steve’s bedroom, for some much needed TLC. 


	18. Indulging

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> About 400 words of (slightly) NSFW fetish!Steve and allergic!Bucky.

“Wait, so you like my—”

Steve gulps and without thinking, quickly puts his hand over Bucky’s mouth. “Don’t say it, please. It’s… it’s embarrassing.”

“It’s not, Steve, it’s cute. Okay? It’s cute.”

The smile Bucky gives Steve makes him want to melt and inside, he does. Why does he have to have such an odd… fascination with Bucky’s sneezes? Steve really didn’t want to tell him, but Bucky sort of teased it out of him.

“Well, thanks for not… I don’t know. Not laughing in my face.”

Bucky smiles, shaking his head. “I’d never d-do —  _huh’ **TSHHUH!**_  — do that. Hoo, sorry. I could feel that one coming.”  

Steve gives him a look. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Bucky says, nodding. “I didn’t do it on purpose!”

He leans toward Steve and gives him a quick kiss before abandoning him on their couch. “Be right back, just going to go use the bathroom really quick.”

Steve squeezes Bucky’s hand and thinks nothing of it. That is, until Bucky returns, eyes watering and breath hitching.

“Wh-what are you—” Steve starts to ask but Bucky’s already snuggling back into the cushions, nostrils flaring.

“I g-gotta—” He trails off, eyelashes fluttering as his mouth stretches into a yawn.

“ _H-heh… huh’ **TSCHHH!** Ahhh… hahhH! Hh’ **TSSSSCHHH!**_ ”

“Bless you,” Steve manages, feeling his pants suddenly getting tight. “Are you o-okay?”

Bucky nods before sneezing again. “Y-yes, I —  _hih’ **PSSSSHUH! TSSCHHH!**_  — id’s th-thad cologne you w-wear.”

Steve looks confused. “But I’m not wearing any. I know how much it bothers you and— wait, did you put it on?”

The other man can’t even answer, as he’s caught in a never-ending, ticklish fit. “ _H-hih’ **TSSCHUH!**  H-heh’ **TSSSH! TPSSSHH!**_ ”

The volley of sneezes lands directly on Steve’s chest thanks to the way Bucky’s leaning on him, and Steve can’t contain himself any longer.

“H-hold them back, please,” Steve begs, his fingers trembling as he undoes Bucky’s zipper.

“I c-cad’t —  _ **TSSSHUH!**_ ” Bucky says through his sneeze, nostrils still quivering. “O-oh, by dose idches.”

Bucky pushes a shaking finger under his nose and pressed under it, hard, in a futile effort to stop the torturous sneezes. “ _H-hih’ **NGGGNT!** Hap’ **SHHH!**_ ”

He stifles one and manages to contain another before they all come spilled out again. “ _Hah’ **TSHHHUH! TSSSH! TSSSSCHH!**_ ”

Steve’s kissing Bucky’s neck, his jaw line, his irritated nose and he’s in absolute heaven.


	19. Picnic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Bucky go on a picnic (and Bucky's allergies are driving him crazy).

Because it’s late spring and it’s gorgeous outside, Bucky convinces Steve to accompany him to the park for a picnic. Well, it doesn’t take much convincing. Steve makes the sandwiches, just how Bucky likes them — sourdough bread, turkey, pickles, tomatoes and absolutely  _no mayo_ , under any circumstances —and Bucky brings the Zyrtec.

His allergies have always been bad, especially in the later spring months, and he knows that the medicine he has doesn’t really work for him. He tries anyway.

“No mayo?” Bucky asks, inspecting his sandwich.  

Steve smiles. “No mayo.”

They eat quietly, enjoying the sunshine and savoring the complimentary flavors of the sandwiches (Steve is an excellent sandwich-maker).

Because they eat in relative silence, Steve has no trouble noticing when Bucky’s about to sneeze. His breath catches, a slight hitch at first, followed by a shuddery exhale, then more hitching. The pollen outside wreaks havoc on his sinuses and now in particular, it feels like Bucky’s nose is just on the edge of a sneezing fit. Thanks for nothing, Zyrtec.

A gentle breeze blows by them and it’s enough to send Bucky over the edge.

“O-oh!  _Hih’ **TSSSSH! TSCHHH!**  Hah’ **PTSSSSH!**_ ” He’s holding his sandwich in one hand and he turns away from Steve when his breath catches again. “ _ **TZSSHHHOO!**_ ”

The last one comes barreling out of him and Steve feels compelled to rub his back. “That was a big one.”

Bucky sniffles into his wrist, feeling the congestion set in. “Yeah, I kdow. I f-fucking hate sd-sdeezing.”

“Aw, you already sound so stuffy,” Steve coos, putting his own sandwich down. “Did you take your meds?”

“Yeah, but you kdow they dod’t w-work,” he stammers, fighting back another series of sneezes. Bucky scrubs at his nose roughly, eventually placing a trembling knuckle under his nostrils. “ _H-hehhh… hahhH! Hh’ **TDSSSHH!**_ ”

He sighs, annoyed, and frantically rubs his raw nose, desperate to stop the itching.

“Bless Buck,” Steve murmurs into Bucky’s neck.

“Thadks,” he grumbles, rubbing his still-flaring nostrils with the heel of his palm.

Although Bucky continues to sneeze, off and on (but mostly on) throughout lunch, he’s happy — happy with Steve — and that’s what matters.


End file.
